Improvement in trusses



sjw. GnEGnRY.

Trusses.

Patented Jan. 13, 1-874..

,invern/Z071 UNITED STATES GEORGE WILSON GREGORY, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRUSSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,448, dated January 13,1874; application filed Jinuary 8,1874.

l To alt whom 'it may concern:

Beit known that I, GEoReE WILsoNGEEG- DRY, of Syracuse, Onondaga county and State of New York, have invented Improvements in Trusses, of which the following is a specifica` 6 and 7 show my curved pads adapted to ben hinged to the truss-plate. Fig. 8 shows the attachment employed t0 secure the straps to the plate. Fig. 9 shows a plate in front and section to be secured to the back of the plate to vwork with the attachment, Fig. 8. Fig, l0 shows the pad-attaching nut. Fig. 11 shows the attachment for confining the thigh to the body-straps. Fig. l2 shows the adjustable hooked washer. Fig. 13 is a metal plate, provided with a slot, to be placed back of the pad, and to act as a lining to the slot in the plate. Fig. 14 shows a second body or belt strap, as hereinafter described. y

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap and durable truss or supporter; and this invention is an improvement on my patent N o. 138,640, wherein is employed a metallic corrugated plate, provided with slots for adjusting the pads. My present invention consists in a truss or supporter plate composed of two or more layers of wood, with the grain of the wood crossing, or two or more layers of wood and canr'fasunited together by suitable glue or adhesive cement. It also consists in the comd bination, with a plate bearing across the body,

Fig. 3 is a` The front plate a isv composed of two or more thin layers of wood united .by suitable glue or adhesive cement, or marine glue, the grain o f other well-known forms, to adapt it` to dii'erent persons, and to ruptures located at any portion of the body, or it may be shaped for a supporter. Itis provided at the end or centrally with slots j to receive screws to allow pads b to be attached and adjusted. The platemay also be perforated with small holes a for ventilation, and may be coated with an enamel, and on the back of the plate is a fastening-` plate, m, having an irregular1 slot, n, to receive the hook p of the body-strap attaching plate o. This attaching-plate diifers from that shown in my former patent in the construction of the tongue-plates g fr. The pads which are tached to the face of the plate are made of metal and corrugated, the corrugations preferably crossing the pad, thereby preventing` in a measure vertical movemeuubut they may be made of other well-known shape. The back of the pad b is slotted at d, and ledges d are thrown down, and to these ledges are fitted nuts e, having slots or openings e to slide thereon. The nuts are placed on the ledges before the back-plate is secured to the bulged portion of the pad, and they cannot be misplaced. For ruptures in the groin I employ an oblong curved pad, o, curved to it the groin,

and attached to the front plate aby means of loops t' and openings a2 or hinges, which allow such pad to be pressed closely into the groin, and toadapt itself to the movement of the person. To produce eXtra pressure on this pad, a buckle-like attachment, y, is secured to it to receive the thigh-strap. This swinging pad may be corrugated in either direction, and be perforated, if desired, or may be provided with the depressed back-plate and slotted nut, so as to be attached to the front of the bodyplate. These groin-pads may be used with the corrugated plate shown in my patent. When a pad requires to be adjusted very high or low on the front plate, the plate is liable to turn 3 and to counteract this tendency, and keep the pressure of the strap over the center of the pad, I employ a washer, f, having a hook, g.

' having prongs w and x. The body-strap 1 is doubled, passed through the attachment from its under side, and the prongs x are passed through. the doubled portion, and the prongs Y a* are then used to hold the thigh-straps 2. It

is often difficult to adapt a truss to a corpulent person. The thiglrstraps hold the plate well down; but to hold the plate up an additional belt or strap, 3, may be placed about the body above the usual body-strap l, and from the strap 3 are suspending-straps 4, which are secured tothe uppermost prongs w of the attachment u. The wood front plate may be strengthened by placing a slotted metal plate, Z, Fig. 13, at its back, and surrounding the slots j, and it may also have a longitudinal metallic strip Y across the back or about its edges. Vhen I adapt my plate to umbilical rupture I provide it centrally on its face with a round pad, s, and on 4its. back I place suitable hooks t t', the latter being` allowed to swivel.

Having described my invention, I claiml'. A truss or supporter plate composed of layers -of wood, or wood and cloth united, substantially as described.

2. A truss or supporter plate composed ot' layers of wood perforated and provided with pad-adj usting slots, substantially as described.

3. A truss-plate adapted to extend across the body, in combination with the free-movin g curved, oblong,'hinged groiirpad, substantially as described. y v

4. The back-plate of the pad provided with the depressed ledges and combined with the slotted nut, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the plate and ad justable pad, of the hooked washer, substantially as described.

6. The hinged lpad provided with the buckle to hold the thigh-strap, substantially as de- 7. The attachment u, having prongs lw x for confining the 'body and thigh straps.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of December, 1873.

GEO. VILSON GREGORY.

Vitnesses TrroMAs MERRIAM,

FRANK OoLLrNs. 

